You need to somehow get your name into the basket to get a job. You find a job on your preferred job board. If you get lucky you can just apply from the job board. Pick a resume, fill in a few fields, hit send. Those are good. for the rest there is a process that was put in place by a person that hates you and wants you to know it. Something that will test your patience and usually assault your eyeballs with the outdated styling.
Sometimes there are companies that want a specific task or project done. This could be anything from answering actual questions to completing a project so they won't have to hire someone. Even then you might have to go to "Application Hell".
Almost all of the companies have a different application software. Even if it's the same few vendors they use. First you need to sign up so that they can spam you or sell that data later. I am sure they think it's so that I can easily apply for the multitude of jobs they are offering. I mean if I didn't get the job this time then surely next time I will get it! After you have your new account with their special software you can upload a résumé. This doesn't actually do anything for the majority of them. Sometimes it will pull data from your file and insert it into random fields on the next page. Now you clear the fields of the junk data if filled in you can enter real data. This is important because the résumé attached would definitely have none of this vital information. Be sure to do the same for education and references.
Once in a while there are some preset options with experience or educational questions. If you are honest you won't have to bother wondering if you are going to get a call. The software will reject you for not picking the right option, I think it's (degree in job description) + 1 level. Don't worry though, sometimes it will let you know that it did so. Most of the time it won't.
You might have noticed that you are doing all of this in a ridiculous form wizard. Sometimes you can go back to edit your details and then resume where you left off and other times you have to start over from where you went back to. This is for your convenience so you don't get lost or confused!
Most of the time the fields are not responsive in any way so it will always look pleasing to the eye while displaying partial information in long fields. Sometimes you can't even paste in the details off your résumé without having to go back and remove extraneous formatting from your document at the front of the text, that is if you can still see the front of the field.
If you did manage to complete this tedious task that definitely displays your patience and fortitude you may get a small email with confirmation. That is all you get. If you are lucky in a month they will follow up with a rejection email that has no explanation.
Don't worry though. You will have forgotten about them while you navigate the next site's application software. With all of these exciting features I can't understand why users don't love the process.
I sound more bitter than I am. Seriously!